Archived Articles

Good morning. I am very pleased to be with you here today. Spain and the UK enjoy an excellent working relationship on criminal justice matters and I am looking forward to us building on that further over the course of this conference.

The purpose of today's talk is to start a debate about how we in society view the offence of rape and whether we bring our conscious or subconscious views and stereotypes to our consideration of it. Rape is a serious crime and one in which there have been a number of reports and recommendations over the years looking at how we improve the way in which these cases go through the Criminal Justice System. It is surprising when looking back that it was only in 1991 that the law was clarified to recognise rape could be committed within a marriage. Before then a husband could rape his wife with impunity. It is also not that long ago that we did not have rape specialists either investigating or prosecuting these cases and victim care was awful.

Domestic violence is serious and pernicious. It ruins lives, breaks up families and has a lasting impact. It is criminal. And it has been with us for a very long time. Yet it is only in the last ten years that it has been taken seriously as a criminal justice issue. Before that the vast majority of cases were brushed under the carpet with the refrain "it's just a domestic".

John (not his real name) is a 45 year old, disabled man, who lives alone. He was born with Cerebral Palsy. As a result, he has difficulty with walking and has to use a walking stick for support. Although, he walks with an obvious limp and stumbles frequently, his independence is very important to him so he tries to get out as much as possible.

Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, has today said that while there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Alan Cutkelvin Rees and Dr Michael Irwin in relation to the death of Raymond Cutkelvin at a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland in February 2007, such a prosecution would not be in the public interest and no further action should be taken against them.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, defended the Human Rights Act and emphasised the importance of the discretion and independence of prosecutors at the Public Prosecution Service Annual Lecture.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC talks about his plans for taking forward the 'public prosecution service' to meet the challenges of the 21st century. He explains the changed role of the organisation and the importance of introducing public-facing core quality standards.

"Whatever the crime the decision to charge a suspect is important to the alleged offender, the victim(s), any witnesses and the community. The best model is one where volume crime is dealt with speedily and efficiently. A telephone approach is good for that and allows us to deploy resources for face-to-face consultations with the police in complex and contested cases where it really is necessary. The most important thing is that the right person is charged with the right offence at the right time." – Keir Starmer, DPP

In the recently reported case of R v Paulet the Court of Appeal invited the DPP to consider issuing guidance to prosecutors on the issues that may arise when considering whether to instigate confiscation proceedings.

The first Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Football Prosecutors conference was the best opportunity for staff of the CPS, Home Office, UK Football Policing Unit, Football Association and Professional Football Association to gather and share good practice, said Nick Hawkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and CPS lead on football issues.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, QC, has decided there should be no charges brought against MP Damian Green or Home Office civil servant Christopher Galley, following a Metropolitan Police Service investigation into leaks of information from the Home Office.

Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions has today said that, while there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction of Mark and Julie James in relation to the death by suicide of their son Daniel, such a prosecution is not in the public interest and no further action should be taken either against them or against a family friend who assisted them.

A call for level headedness and legislative restraint in an age of danger and risk was made by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald QC in the inaugural CPS Lecture, the full transcript of which is available on this website.

In a speech today, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald, QC, urged police and prosecutors who deal with cases involving disability hate crime to ensure that courts are given all the facts so that sentences can reflect the seriousness of the crime.

The Director of Public Prosecutions gave a speech about free expression and the rule of law on Tuesday 4 March at the Birmingham Law School. In the speech he addressed whether there are or should be appropriate limits to free speech, the approach of the criminal law, over time, to this issue and the role of prosecutors.

The Government has today announced the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review - which sets budgets and performance targets for government departments for the next three financial years (April 2008 to March 2011).

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has made huge progress over the last few years, according to the Capability Review - published by the Cabinet Office today, 22nd June 2007. The Capability Review also places the CPS in a good position on the list of Whitehall departments evaluated by this review process.

The Crown Prosecution Service has published a public policy statement to explain how it will prosecute cases of disability hate crime. The CPS has developed this Disability Hate Crime Policy in consultation with a number of disability organisations.

This Scheme sets out the Disability Equality Actions that will be undertaken by the Crown Prosecution Service in order to meet its statutory duty under the Disability Discrimination Act. The Scheme builds on Crown Prosecution Service Race Equality Scheme 2005-2008 and sets out Gender Equality Actions, in advance of the April 2007 deadline. The Scheme also incorporates equality and diversity actions in respect of age, religion or belief and sexuality and gender identity.

The Crown Prosecution Service has published the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation and the Director of Public Prosecutions in London on 15 November 2006.

Jill Savin, a law clerk for the CPS Special Casework Unit, has received a commendation from His Honour Judge Testar for her work in securing the convictions of ten men accused of fraud, totalling £3 million.

Applying to offences of murder or manslaughter charged after 24 April 2006, the Victims' Advocates pilot allows the family of a victim to make a statement in open court about the effect of the crime on their family.

David Archer, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Avon and Somerset, met with representatives of faith based and BME communities on 28th September 2005 to give an overview of the CPS and where we fit into the Criminal Justice System. He outlined recent developments to attendees including representatives from the British Muslim for young Afro-Caribbean males and Bristol City Council Race forum, regarding issues such as the Charging initiative, Witness Care Units, the policy on prosecution of Hate Crime and summarised the CPS Equality & Diversity practice, employment policy and diversity awareness training.

On Saturday 15th October, representatives from the police, CPS, Bristol Youth Offending Team and other Criminal Justice Agencies were on hand when hundreds of people flooded through the doors of Old Bridewell Police Station for a last chance to see inside the historic Bristol landmark.

CPS Policy Directorate has prepared a document, the Children's Charter, explaining the way we deal with cases where children are involved as victims or witnesses. The Charter is for children, their parents, guardians and carers and for those who work to support children. Organisations that work with children have been involved in the preparation of the document.

From today, the Attorney General is introducing a ten point Pledge that describes the level of service that victims can expect to receive from prosecutors. Prosecutors play a key role in protecting victims' interests, in particular when accepting pleas and during sentencing. The Pledge is a further step towards the objective of placing victims at the heart of the criminal justice system and is applicable to all prosecuting authorities, including advocates instructed by the prosecuting authorities in the Crown Court.

The proposals outlined in this consultation document 'Inspection Reform: Establishing an Inspectorate for Justice and Community Safety' will achieve a stronger inspectorate for the criminal justice system that focuses on assuring the public, driving improvements in services, whilst reducing the burden on the front line by adopting a risk based approach.

We are pleased to publish this Memorandum of Understanding between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) concerning Section 46 Sexual Offences Act 2003.

A joint Crown Prosecution Service and Independent Police Complaints Commission agreement has been signed today to improve the effectiveness of investigations into deaths in police custody and other major incidents.

The Home Secretary, Lord Chancellor and Attorney General launched the first five year strategic plan for the criminal justice system which sets out the Government's vision of the system in 2008. An ongoing programme of reform will create a future of improved witness and victim care, tougher enforcement of penalties and fast-tracking of repeat offenders.

As part of CPS Avon & Somerset's ongoing community engagement programme, Chief Crown Prosecutor, David Archer gave a presentation about the CPS to the Bristol Progressive Jewish Congregation to mark the holy festival of Shavuot on 25th May. Speaking at the event, David said:

A new play launched on Thursday 13th May, commissioned by Avon and Somerset Criminal Justice Board (ASCJB) and part funded by the CPS, tackles diversity issues head on. The play was launched in Bristol and will then toured various venues across Avon & Somerset.

Brett Charlton has had his sentence extended to three years by the Appeal Court in London for slashing a man’s throat in a racist attack in Worthing, Sussex. The sentence will be concurrent from today with his sentence of three years he is serving for burglary.